Clothes dryer



E. H. THOMPSON Sept. 16, 1958 CLOTHES DRYER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed June so.- 1951 l'hwnzan' finesfld Q'Zompaon S IM Sept. '16, 1958 E. H. THOMPSON 2,851,793

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CLOTHES DRYER United States Patent 6 CLOTHES DRYER Ernest H. Thompson, Glenview, Ill.

On'ginal application June 30, 1951, Serial No. 234,497,

now Patent No. 2,679,112, dated May 25, 1954. Divided and this application March 1, 1954, Serial No. 413,225

4 Claims. (Cl. 34-133) This invention relates to a clothes dryer and particularly one of small size adaptable for apartments and the like, the dryer including a housing which serves the additional purpose of a seat when it is not in use as a dryer for clothing and other laundry items, the design being such that the top of the dryer is approximately the height of a standard chair.

This application is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 234,497, filed June 30, 1951 now Patent No. 2,679,112, dated May 25, 1954.

One object of the invention is to provide a clothes dryer which is comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, and which quickly and efficiently dries clothing in a perforated tumbling cylinder'thereof located Within the housing, the drying action being effected by the use of heated and circulated air.

Another object is to provide a clothes dryer to which access can be had by opening the top of the housing to gain access to a lid on the tumbling cylinder.

Still another object is to provide a clothes dryer of this general character in which the tumbling cylinder is driven by a small electric motor and air is circulated through the housing by a fan on the motor, the direction of circulation being preferably the same as the direction of rotation of the tumbling cylinder.

A further object is to provide a tumbling cylinder which can be manually rotated for positioning the lid thereof uppermost, for ready access to the interior of the cylinder for removing the dried clothing and inserting another batch of wet clothing, clutch means being provided for declutching the tumbling cylinder with respect to the driving motor therefor so as to permit of such manual rotation.

Still a further object is to provide a clothes dryer the character disclosed having a tumbling cylinder which is readily removable so that lint can be readily cleaned therefrom and having a motor, fan and heater unit also removable for ready cleaning, the housing of the clothes dryer thereupon being accessible for cleaning lint therefrom while the tumbling cylinder and the unit are rein case the current is turned on before the lid of the tumbling cylinder is closed.

A further additional object is to provide a relatively inexpensive housing construction for clothes dryers and similar cabinet structures which may be formed of insulating board (such as those made of corn stalks or any suitable fibrous materials) in the form of panels which are secured together at the corners by novel fittings particularly adapted for this purpose, after which the walls of the housing and the fittings may be completely covered 2,851,793 Patented Sept. 16, 1958 by a suitable covering material to provide a finished appearance.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my clothes dryer, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a clothes dryer embodying my present invention and showing the top open and the tumbling cylinder stopping means in the depressed position for stopping the cylinder.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 33 of Figure l, the top being closed.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line 44 of Figure 1, the top being closed in this figure also.

Figure 5 is a view similar to the upper right hand corner of Figure 1 showing the parts in the normal position when the clothing is being dried therein and the top is closed.

Figure 6 is an electrodiagrammatic view showing the motor and heating element, and a timer switch therefor, together with an auxiliary switch operable by the cylinder stopping means.

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view through a modified and preferred form of my invention, the cylinder thereof being shown in end elevation.

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view on the line 88 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a horizontal sectional view of the line 9-9 of Figure 7.

Figure 10 is a vertical sectional view on the line 10-10 of Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a vertical detail sectional view on the line 11-11 of Figure 10.

Figure 12 is an enlarged vertical sectional view on the line 12-12 of Figure 10.

Figure 13 is a sectional view on the line 13-13 of Figure 12.

Figure 14 is a perspective view of a fitting for securing adjacent edges of panels of the dryer housing together; and

Figure 15 is a sectional view through two of the panels for forming the housing and showing one of the fittings of Figure 14 in installed position with the section being taken on the indicated line 15-15 of Figure 14.

On the accompanying drawings I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate the bottom wall of a. housing for my clothes dryer, 11 one end wall thereof, and 12 the other end wall thereof. These three walls, together with side Walls 13 and 14, form a housing which is preferably of insulating material such as a molded plastic.

A top 15 is provided for the housing and it is shown relatively thick so that it is strong enough to support the weight of a person sitting thereon. The top 15 is preferably hinged as at 16 to the dryer housing, and the bottom wall 10 of the housing is provided with casters 17 for convenience in transporting the housing about the dwelling of the user.

A perforated cylinder 18 is provided in which there is a single projection 53 for tumbling the clothing. The cylinder 18 has end walls 19 which are journalled in bearings 20 and 21. A minor portion of the cylinder indicated at 22 serves as an openable lid for the cylinder and is hinged thereto as at 23. A hook 24 or the like may be provided to normally retain the lid 22 in the closed position.

A relatively large ring-like pulley 25 is secured to one end wall 19 of the tumbling cylinder 18 and a belt 26 extends around this pulley, through a slot 36a of the 3 partition 36 and around a relatively small pulley 27. A pulley 28 is connected to the pulley 27 and a small belt 29 extends around the pulley 28 and around a pulley 30 mounted on the shaft 31 of a motor M. Also on the motor shaft is an air circulating fan 32.

The end wall 12 of the clothes dryer housing is hinged at 33 for convenience in gaining access to a heating element HE and the motor M together with the associated mechanism. The heating element is mounted on a partition 36 in which there is an opening 37. Also the end wall 12 has an opening 34 and it is screened as indicated at 35.

When the motor M is energized, the fan 32 thereof circulates air through the opening 34, the screen 35, past the heating element HE and through the opening 37 of the partition 36 as indicated by arrows in Figure l, and this air travels around substantially the major portion of the cylinder 18 and in the direction of rotation thereof. The moisture laden air is discharged through an opening 38 adjacent the top of the wall 12 which is provided with a screen 39.

Referring to Figure 6, a timer switch T is rovided for the heating element HE and the motor M, the timer having separate circuits for these as indicated by the terminals 11 and m. The timer may be of the ordinary electrically or spring driven clockworks type to be set for a certain period of time sufliciently long to dry the charge of clothing deposited in the clothes dryer. At the end of the timing period, it cuts oif the current to both the heating element HE and the motor M. Line wires 41 and 42 are illustrated for energizing the motor and the heating element.

I provide an auxiliary switch 40 shunting the motor circuit of the timer T for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. Within the clothes dryer housing I provide a lever 43 pivoted at 44 and spring biased to the position of Figure by a spring 45. A combined handle and stop 43a extends from one side of the lever 43. A belt tightening lever 46 is provided pivoted at 47 and having an idler pulley 48 carried thereby for normally engaging and tightening the belt 26 as in Figure 5 or loosening it as in Figure l-if desired. The lever 46 is connected by a link 49 to the lever 43. The tumbling cylinder is provided with a projection 54 to strike the lever 43 as will hereinafter be described.

Referring to Figures 9 to 13, I show a modified and preferred form of my invention. The housing in this case consists of a bottom wall 56, end walls 57 and 58, a pair of side walls 60, and a top 59 hinged as at 59a to one of the side walls 60.

Within the clothes dryer housing is a tumbling cylinder comprising a perforated cylindrical wall 61, a pair of cylinder sides 62, and a lid 63. The lid 63 in this instance is slidably mounted, lid slot 64 being provided in which the lid may be slid in a clockwise direction from the closed position of Figure to an open position after a latch 65 on the cylinder is released.

The tumbling cylinder is removably mounted by means of a stud 66 projecting from the center of each side 62 of'the cylinder and having thereon a bearing sleeve 67. The bearing sleeves are adapted to be received in notches 68 of bearing blocks 69 secured to the side walls 60 of the clothes dryer housing. Each stud has a head 70 thereon which is received in a head receiving slot 71 of its respective bearing block 69. This arrangement provides assurance that the hearings will be properly located for rotation of the studs 66 therein, yet the tumbling cylinder is readily removable for cleaning purposes.

For driving the tumbling cylinder I provide a motor M having a shaft 72. The motor is pivoted at 73 and is biased to rotate about the pivot in a counter-clockwise direction in Figure 7 by a spring 74. A bolt 75 limits such rotation, the bolt traveling in a slot 76 of a bracket 77 that mounts the pivot 73 and thereby the motor-M.

The bracket 77 also has a pivot 78 for a clutch lever 79. The clutch lever is constrained to rotate counterclockwise about the pivot 78 in Figure 7 by means of a spring 80. The clutch lever carries a shaft 81 on which is rotatably mounted a wheel 82. A friction tire 83 surrounds the wheel and is frietionally engaged by the motor shaft 72 under the action of the spring 74. The wheel 82 and tire 83 extend through a slot in the unit housing 86.

An annular flange 84 is provided with attaching cars 85 secured to one side 62 of the tumbling cylinder as shown in Figures 7 and 11. The friction tire 83 is biased by the spring 80 to contact with the annular flange 84 so that rotation is transmitted from the motor shaft 72 to the tumbling cylinder.

Within the clothes dryer housing, I provide a unit housing 86 which is removable in relation to the clothes dryer housing. Within this unit housing there is a blower housing 87 in which a blower 88 mounted on the motor shaft 72 is provided. The blower housing has an air intake 89 and it communicates with an intake screen 90 permanently mounted in the clothes dryer housing as shown particularly in Figure 9, arrows being used to indicate the path of the air inflow.

The blower housing 87 has an extension 91 serving as a reflector and this extension is doubled back as at 96 to provide a double-walled construction for heat insulating purposes. A pair of horizontal rods 92 extend transversely in the reflector housing formed by the reflector 91 and a pair of side walls 97 thereof shown in Figure 8. Other rods 93, vertically arranged, are secured to the rods 92 to form a heating element supporting framework. Brackets 94 are secured to the rods 93 for supporting insulating elements 95, and the heating element shown at HE is threaded through the insulators as shown in Figures 8 and 10. In front of the heating element is a screen 98 which is also part of the unit housing 86.

The unit housing 86 is merely set in the position shown I and is retained in that location by studs 99a extending from the housing side walls 60 as shown in Figure 9, with one or two ears 99 provided with keyhole slots coacting with headed studs 100 extending from the end wall 58 as shown in Figure 10. Above the housing 86, a screen 101 is removably mounted, being held in position by a pair of flanges 102. The screen 101 is located inside another-screen 103 which is permanently mounted in the wall 58 of the housing.

The tumbling cylinder of Figures 7 to 13, being somewhat larger in diameter than the one shown in Figures 1 to 6, is provided with two projections 104 for tumbling the clothing, and a baflie wall 105 spans one corner of the housing as shown in Figure 10 for increasing the efliciency of the circulated and heated air through the clothes being tumbled and dried.

On the tumbling cylinder, I mount a pivot stud 106 for a bell crank having arms 107 and 108. A spring 109 constrains the bell crank to rotate counter-clockwise in Figure 9, but when the lid 63 is slid completely closed and latched, it is rotated to the position shown against the bias of the spring. In case the lid is left partially or fully open, however, the spring 109 rotates the bell crank 107108 to the dotted position so that any attempt to operate the clothes dryer will result in the arm 108 striking the stop 110 and thereby stopping rotation of i the drum even though the motor M continues to be energized. The motor will then either stall or continue to rotate with its shaft 72 slipping on the tire 83. If the arm 108 misses the stop 110, then it will strike the stop 111.

In Figures 14 and 15, I show how the panels that form the dryer housing may be formed and assembled by means of a special fitting 112. This fitting is made of sheet metal having a plate portion 113, a stop flange 114, and pairs of prongs and 116. The prongs 115 extend at right angles to the plate portion 113, while the prongs 116 are in the plane of the plate portion. The stop flange 114 extends at right angles to the plate portion 113 in a direction opposite the prongs 115 and from the edge of the plate portion 114 opposite the prongs 115.

The fitting 112, when thus formed, is suitable for securing the adjacent edges of two of the dryer housing walls together such as the walls 11 and 13 in Figure 15 with the face of one of the walls engaging the edge of the other wall. The plate portion 113 is then engaged against the face of the wall 13 with the stop flange 114 substantially flush with the end of the wall 13.

The prongs 115' are forced through the Wall 13 (which may be formed of insulating board or the like) and clinched over on the bend lines 117 as at 115a, the clinch portion being preferably forced down into the material of the panel 13. The prongs 116 are then forced through the panel 11 and bend at the bend lines 117 to form the clinched parts 116a. Thus the adjacent edges of the panels are readily secured together in a rigid manner.

The entire housing may then be covered with a suitable cover material 118 on the inside, and 119 on the outside secured in position by adhesive or the like. The cover material may be imitation leather capable of standing the heat of the dryer, sheet plastic material, or any material suitable for the purpose.

Practical operation In the operation of my clothes dryer, referring to Figure 1, it will be noted that the projection 53 has rotated to a position for engaging the clothing shown at 5311. It carries the clothing ahead of it to the dot-and-dash line position and only then does the clothing drop off, it being noted that the projection 53 is well above the center of rotation. The speed of rotation I select is one which causes the clothing to stay on the projection by centrifugal force until it reaches the dot-and-dash line position. In actual practice, I find anywhere from to 60 R. P. M. suitable for this purpose.

The timer switch T is set for the desired time and when the time runs out, the heating element is de-energized and the motor is stopped. The lid 22, of course, may have stopped at any position and it is accordingly desirable to bring it around to the uppermost position. This is accomplished, after opening the top 15 to the position of Figure 1, by pressing downwardly on the handle 43a to move the lever 43 as indicated by the arrow 55 against 4 the action of the spring 45 so that the lever 43 is in the path of the projection 54 on the cylinder 18, the handle 43a being stopped by engaging a partition 36a (see Figure 1). Accordingly, the motor M being now energized by closure of the switch 40, there will be sufficient traction between the loose belt 26 and the pulleys 27 and 25 to retate the tumbling cylinder until the projection 54 strikes the lever 43. The cylinder 18 will thus be stopped in the position shown, whereupon the handle 43a may be released and the lid 22 may then be opened as to the dotand-dash line position illustrated in this figure.

Since the timer has cut off the motor, however, the motor M must be re-energized by some other means to cause the drum to rotate to the stopped position. At the same time it is desirable to prevent energization of the heating element and also prevent positive rotation of the tumbling cylinder. This is accomplished by loosening the belt tightener to the position shown in Figure 1 automatically through the link connection 49 when the lever 43 has been depressed and at that time energizing the motor which is accomplished by closure of the auxiliary switch 40.

In Figure 5 the belt tightener has been tightened under the action of the spring 45 when the lever 43 is released. At that time the switch 40 is reopened so that the motor is then back under the control of the timer switch T.

The form of my invention shown in Figures 1 to 6 is claimed in my above referred to Patent No. 2,679,112.

In the operation of my preferred form of invention shown in Figures 7 to 13, the motor M and the heating 6 element HE may be connected to'a suitable current supply cord that can be plugged into a service outlet whenever it is desirable to operate the clothes dryer. If desirable, a control switch may be provided in the circuit for the motor and/or the heating element.

The tumbling cylinder will rotate clockwise in Figures 7 and 10 and air will be circulated and heated by the blower 8t and the heating element HE, the direction of circulation being first through the screen 90, then past the heating element, then through the tumbling barrel, and finally out through the screens 101 and 1113.

When the tumbling cylinder projections 104 reach approximately the position shown by dot-and-dash lines, the clothes will tumble from in front of the upper projection into position just ahead of the lower projection thus being effectively picked up and carried around to a position almost at the top of the drum before they tumble down again. During the carrying of the clothes, of course, some of them will start the tumbling action and the result is a spreading of the clothes substantially throughout the area in which the heated air is circulated, and the clothes are subject to radiant heat from the refiector 91 as well as the heating element HE, thereby quickly and efficiently drying them.

When it is desirable to remove the dried clothing and insert a wet batch, the top 59 is opened after the motor and the heating element are de-energized. If the lid 63 of the tumbling cylinder is not uppermost, the clutch lever 79 can be swung toward the right in Figure 7 for removing the friction tire 83 from contact with the annular flange 84- of the tumbling cylinder. The cylinder can then be readily rotated by hand until the lid 63 is uppermost so that it can be unlatched and slid back in its slots 64 for opening the cylinder to remove the clothing therefrom.

After a wet batch of clothing has been placed in the tumbling cylinder, the top 59 can be closed and the heating element and motor again energized for drying the same. in the event that the operator forgets to slide the lid 63 to a closed and latched position, or only partially closes it, then the bell crank 14i71ti8 will be in the dotted position and the path of travel of the arm 198 will be close enough to the side wall 6i) on which the stops 111) and 111 are mounted that it will engage one or the other of these steps, thus stopping the rotation of the cylinder. The operator, not hearing the rotation of the tumbling cylinder, will thus be apprised of the fact that the lid 63 has not been closed.

Either form of my invention will be found efficient in the drying operation and is particularly designed for providing a small compact clothes dryer especially adapted for apartment use and portability. At the same time the clothes dryer is one of the type that can be plugged into any service outlet, thus providing a clothes dryer in the nature of an electrical appliance as distinguished from a permanent installation. While I have referred to my invention as a clothes dryer, it is to he understood as adaptable for drying all laundry items and not limited to the drying of clothes only.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my clothes dryer Without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my invention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may reasonably be included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a clothes dryer, a main housing having an openable top, a perforated clothes tumbling cylinder rotatably mounted therein and removable therefrom, and a removable unit in said main housing comprising a sub-housing containing means for rotating said cylinder and for circulating air through said main housing. means for rotating said cylinder including a friction wheel having a portion projecting from said sub-housing and contacting said clothes tumbling cylinder.

2. In a clothes dryer, a main housing having an openable top, a perforated clothes tumbling cylinder rotatably mounted therein and removable therefrom, and a removable'unit in said main housing comprising a subhousing containing means for rotating said cylinder and for circulating air through said main housing, and means for heating the air circulated by said last means, said means for rotating said cylinder including a friction wheel having a portion projecting from said sub-housing and contacting said clothes tumbling cylinder.

3. A clothes dryer comprising a housing having an openable top, a clothes tumbling cylinder therein having a perforated periphery, a portion of which is openable, a clothes engaging projection in said cylinder, means for heating and circulating air through said cylinder and housing, a safety catch on said cylinder, a stop 'in said housing, said safety catch being normally in a position engageable with said stop, except when the door on said cylinder is completely closed, said safety stop comprising a pivoted element biased with a projection thereof outward from the tumbling cylinder to assume a path of movement engageable with said stop, said safety catch being engaged by said door when completely closed to swing against its bias to a position out of said path.

4. In a clothes dryer of the character disclosed, a main housing, a pair of bearing blocks therein having downwardly opening notches, a cylinder having studs projecting from the sides thereof and receivable in said notches I whereby said tumbling. cylinder is removable relative to said main housing, a unitary sub-housing within said main housing and including a blower and heater for air together with a screen between the heater and the cylinder, said main housing having an inlet opening screened to admit air to said unitary sub-housing and blower and a screen for outlet purposes above said unitary sub-housing, and means for transmitting rotation from said motor to said tumbling cylinder comprising a friction wheel projjecting from said unitary sub-housing and drive from which the cylinder may be disengaged by removal from said main housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,751,841 Pickens Mar. 25, 1930 2,148,057 Chamberlain Feb. 21, 1939 2,340,545 Marsh Feb. 1, 1944 2,362,904 Kramer Nov. 14, 1944 2,389,433 Hough Nov. 20, 1945 2,424,737 Broglie July 29, 1947 2,500,062 Clark Mar. 7, 1950 2,518,548 Howland Aug. 15, 1950 2,547,238 Tremblay Apr. 3, 1951 2,617,203 Murray Nov. 11, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 461,737 Canada Dec. 13, 1949 

